Our position: If Democratic Party won't seat delegates, it should pay for mail-in vote

OPINION

March 9, 2008|By Sage

National Democratic Party leaders are now stuck in a mess of their own making. They foolishly chose to punish Florida and Michigan for early primaries by refusing to seat any of their delegates at this year's presidential convention. Now the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is so close that it could hinge on the fate of those delegates.

We would prefer that Mr. Obama follow Mrs. Clinton in pledging to seat Florida's delegates to affirm the results from the state's Jan. 29 primary, when 1.7 million Democrats cast ballots. They deserve to have their votes counted.

But this isn't likely to happen. Mr. Obama would cut his narrow lead over Mrs. Clinton by 38 delegates if he accepted the Jan. 29 results from Florida. (Michigan is more complicated, because Mrs. Clinton was the only Democrat on the ballot for its Jan. 15 primary.)

The best alternative is another Democratic primary, conducted by mail and funded by the party. It would be as simple as sending every Democrat a ballot to be returned by a certain date.

Cost estimates for a statewide mail-in vote range from $4 million to $6 million, a relative bargain compared to as much as $25 million for a conventional election. But with Florida legislators now slashing state funding for schools, hospitals and nursing homes to close a huge budget gap, and local governments paring back their spending to adjust to property-tax cuts, it would be immoral to take even $4 million from taxpayers for a second presidential primary.

It would make much more sense for the Democratic Party, which created this mess, to pay to clean it up. The party or its candidates could cover the cost, despite protests to the contrary from national Chairman Howard Dean.

While the Democratic National Committee currently has only about $3 million on hand, it has raised tens of millions during the campaign. The Florida Democratic Party, unlike its national counterpart, can seek unlimited funds from deep-pocketed donors. And the two candidates have demonstrated their ability to raise millions in a matter of hours.

A caucus might be less expensive to conduct, but that format would rule out participation from Democrats who can't show up in person to support a candidate. Military members serving overseas, homebound seniors and night-shift workers would be among those out of luck.

Internet voting, another option, would present problems related to security and computer access.

A second vote is a safer bet than leaving the delegates' fate up to the credentials committee at the Democratic convention -- the smoke-filled room option. If the committee rejected the delegates, Florida would have no recourse.

Florida's Legislature would have to pass a law to permit a presidential primary by mail. But that's the least it could do if the party agrees to pick up the tab.